Northern Ontario mayors push for stronger homelessness, addiction, economic support

The large urban mayors of Northern Ontario (NOLUM) are calling on the provincial and federal governments to provide more support for northern communities.

The mayors of Timmins, North Bay, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and Sault Ste. Marie met on Friday, some in person, others via zoom, to discuss their priorities for the upcoming advocacy season.

Their first priority is advocating for the establishment of Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs in each northern centre. This is the Ontario government's model to address homelessness and addiction, which would combine mental health, addiction and employment services, as well as transition beds and supportive housing.

"Northern Ontario is a special place. I think the residents of Northern Ontario know that, feel that, and we just have to communicate that to our government to make sure that we're not forgotten when decisions are made," said North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico, detailing the critical actions needed to foster a thriving northern Ontario.

Chirico said northern communities are often overlooked in provincial and federal decision-making processes. He added that this is an opportunity to maximize economic development while strengthening the social safety net.

"We have a health crisis on our hands in northern Ontario. We ere very pleased that the government announced this HART hub programming but we feel that in Northern Ontario, because of our geographical distances between our communities, one of these in each of our communities is necessary to tackle that health crisis," said Chirico.

He further emphasized the lack of services in North Bay.

"We're now dealing with fentanyl. We're now dealing with 10 times the level of addiction, add into that mental health and homelessness. All of these things combined to make northern Ontario certainly an area where we need to invest more, because otherwise, these people are not going to survive."

Sault Ste. Marie Mayor, Matthew Shoemaker, agrees.

"We all have a dire need for these supports in our community. The province has said the HART Hub is the solution to homelessness, homelessness, addiction recovery and treatment that is available to municipalities, and so we have made sure that our community put in an application," said Shoemaker.

The mayor Timmins also chimed in with concern for social issues in her city, and how fixing them can help with economic growth. 

"To help northern Ontario thrive, we need stronger social programs to tackle the opioid crisis and a focus on job growth. By investing in our people and safety, we're setting up Timmins and the entire North for a healthier, more prosperous future." said Michelle Boileau.

The second priority is a request to Ottawa to expedite the launch of the new and permament version of the Rural Community Immigration Pilot. This initiative is designed to encourage immigration to smaller communities by creating a path to permanent residency for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in one of the participating communities. The five mayors are asking for the program to be made permanent to address regional labour shortages.

"The Rural Northern Immigration Pilot helped Sault Ste. Marie grow our population to levels we haven't seen since the 1990s, driven by growth we haven't experienced since the 1970s, said Shoemaker.

"This program was instrumental in ensuring we didn't miss out on economic opportunities by connecting local employers with the skilled workforce needed to fill critical vacancies that would otherwise go unfilled," he said.

Paul Lefebvre, mayor of Greater Sudbury, echoed this sentiment in a statement, saying: "Our goal is to build a northern Ontario where economic opportunity and quality of life go hand in hand. By working together and advocating for policies tailored to our communities' needs, we're laying the groundwork for a stronger, more resilient future across the north."